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Q&A with the Experts: Goals for 2014

Have you defined specific, measurable goals for your business in 2014? Have you accomplished everything you set out to in 2013?

This time of year is an important time for businesses to both reflect on what they’ve learned and set goals for the future, and there’s no better time to get your sales and marketing departments on the same page. That’s why we sat down for another conversation with Alison Gooch, Pardot Sales Manager, and Sangram Vajre, Director of Marketing, to find out what they learned in 2013, what they hope to achieve in the coming year, and how they can work together to get there. Check out the excerpts below, and take some time to consider how your marketing and sales departments can collaborate to make 2014 your best year yet!

Looking Back: Lessons Learned in 2013

Events are often among the most expensive forms of promotion that a business will invest in, but how many companies actually see worthwhile returns? Marketers are often too focused on making sure the event goes off without a hitch to consider post-event follow-up; sales reps are discouraged to find that many event-sourced leads were merely stopping by the booth for a chance to win an iPad.

But one of the biggest lessons of 2013 for our sales and marketing departments was that an effective approach to events can yield significant results. Sangram and Ali each describe their teams’ approach to Dreamforce 2013 follow-up, how they used automation to tailor post-event communication, and what they were able to accomplish.

Looking Ahead: Goals for 2014

Aligning sales and marketing efforts should be at the top of every business’ list of resolutions, and this alignment begins with better communication. Sangram and Ali discuss a few of the ways their teams can make a concentrated effort towards staying on the same page in the coming year: by collaborating on overarching goals, using the same language to talk about these goals, and by making decisions based on predetermined metrics.

What are some of your business’ New Years resolutions? Let us know in the comments section!